Curried Lentil Soup with Goji Berries + Naan [Sun Basket Review]

This post, sponsored by Sun Basket, is not just a tasty recipe but also the answer to the question we all ask ourselves on a daily basis: what’s for dinner? Sun Basket eliminates the what, the when and how of the dinner conundrum and literally delivers a box of the freshest, organic ingredients to your doorstep that will quickly and effortlessly become a home cooked meal you can feel good about feeding your family.

Just because I’m a food blogger and share recipes here on a weekly basis, it doesn’t mean it translates to my kitchen table. On the contrary, I’m just like the next working mom and find the balance of working and running a household overwhelming. And as much as I wish I could tell you I serve up a homemade dinner each night, it’s just not true. (Unless cereal counts. Or popcorn.)

When Sun Basket reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in trying a week of their meal delivery, I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical. I wasn’t sure this was something I’d be into. I mean, come on. I love to cook, I know my way around a kitchen pretty well and somehow having dinner ingredients delivered to my doorstep felt like cheating. But after spending some time on the Sun Basket website, I started to think a little differently. Because let’s be honest. I’ve never been above cheating. I’m pretty comfortable cutting corners when I need to and this was not the time to get all high and mighty. I wasn’t kidding about popcorn and cereal for dinner.

So what is Sun Basket? In a nutshell, Sun Basket is a weekly delivery meal service of pre-measured ingredients and recipes to make 3 different meals. You select from different meal plans and pick what recipes you’re interested in making. Each delivery comes with all natural and organic produce, wild caught seafood, and responsibly grown meat. Sun Basket supports independent farmers, ranchers, and fishermen along the west coast. All the meals are carefully packaged in 100% recyclable packaging. And the best part (or at least a super appealing part to me) is that all meals are ready in 30 minutes or less! Like a boss.

It sounds pretty good, right? Sun Basket makes a lot of promises. Could they really ship fresh ingredients 3 states away and not have the integrity of the food be compromised? Could those same ingredients last in my fridge another few days before I actually got to cooking them? Could I really make each meal in just 30 minutes? Would my husband really eat a date and apricot salad? The answer? Mostly yes. The ingredients were carefully packaged so that they held up in transit just fine. Aside from some of greens getting a little yellow before I used them and 1, just 1 smooshed tomato, everything held up just fine. Each meal made it to my table in 30 minutes or less and it was just than enough food for my husband and I. The Date and apricot salad wasn’t his favorite but he ate it anyway. Good boy!

So what did we eat? We had an awesome Curried Lentil Soup with Goji Berries and Naan, Sole Baked in Parchment with Warm Date and Apricot Salad, and a Thai Steak Salad with Summer Squash and Grilled Scallions. All were really tasty. The soup was definitely my favorite. I love that each meal came with a full recipe card so I could remake the recipes on my own if I choose down the road. I honestly feel like this service could work for everyone. If you don’t cook, this a great way to start. The recipes are easy to prepare and the instructions are easy to follow. And if you’re a seasoned cook the recipes are interesting enough that you’ll be satisfied making dinner!

My only hang ups, and they’re minor mind you, are that each meal is just enough for two. I know that is a weird thing to say when the service is telling me up front it’s a meal service for two. But if I’m going to take the time to cook, I want to have enough for leftovers so we can have lunch the next day. You know, two birds one stone kind of thing. But like I said, that’s minor. I suppose And while all the packaging is 100% recyclable, it still feels like a lot of packaging for just a few meals. At roughly $20 a meal for two, it’s a little more than I would normally spend on a weeknight dinner (with no leftovers) BUT it’s cheaper than takeout so I suppose this last one is kind of a wash. It’s not a service I would use all the time (being someone that gets paid to cook dinner) BUT on those weeks that I know I’m going to be busy and getting dinner on the table will be a chore, this is definitely a service I’d use! And if you’re someone who works full time- and that work doesn’t happen to be making dinner- I can’t recommend Sun Basket enough. It’s definitely worth checking out!

So on to the giveaway!! Lucky you, Sun Basket is offering all Mountain Mama readers a chance to try Sun Basket at a discounted price! You can click on any of the links throughout this post and it will take you to the Sun Basket website where you’ll receive $30 off your first box! Sun Basket is also offering one (1) reader a free week long trial. You can enter the rafflecopter below to be entered. It’s super easy and I know you’ll love it!

In a small bowl, cover the goji berries with very hot tap water. Let stand while you prepare the soup.

Chop the carrot into 1/2-inch pieces. Peel and chop the shallot and garlic. Grate the ginger. Rinse, dry, and chop the cilantro.

In a 4 quart saucepot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots and the carrots to the pan, season with a pinch of salt, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lentils, 3 cups water and cook until the lentils are tender and falling apart, about 10 minutes. Add half the coconut milk and half the cilantro to the soup, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the goji berries. Ladle with soup into two (2) serving bowls. Drizzle in the remaining coconut milk, the lime zest, and juice from lime. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and the goji berries.